Down By The River
by Lucky Th13rteen
Summary: It was down by the river that Severus and Lily first got to know each other. Its only fitting that it is down by the river that they fall in love.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Harry Potter world. They are all property of the gracious JK Rowling, never mine to claim. If they were my fantastical creations, Severus would not have died and he really would have ended up with Lily. **

**A/N: This story is by request and is the plotted idea of a fellow Snilly lover, hello-nurse2005, written with as much love and affection as could be mustered for such a perfect pairing. **

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The first summer they spent down by the small river running behind their neighborhoods, Severus Snape and Lily Evans were distant. The eager, young wizard was impatient to get to know the beautiful, red-haired girl but she was hesitant to trust the strange, gangly boy who irritated her sister, Tuney, so much. When she realized that her sibling was overtly jealous of her special skills, her magic, Lily was more than willing to nurture a budding friendship with the magical boy from down the hill.

Severus was ecstatic; he had never had a true friend before!

Lily was exuberant too; now she finally had someone who could explain the strangeness of her childhood.

On the occasional day that Lily was not preoccupied with family activities, shopping with her mother or playing a game with Petunia, she would wander through the high grass fields running behind her house, eventually stopping as she came upon the shaded river. Severus was always waiting there for her, poking a stick in the dirt or throwing rocks into the water, an enthusiastic smile lighting up his face when he saw Lily on the other bank. His presence there became her one constant, so much so that Lily wondered if Severus sat by the river every day, waiting to see her red head meandering through the sparse trees.

Their first summer by the river, Lily and Severus spent hours lying on their backs, shadows flickering across their young faces as they took turns telling stories about their lives. Severus begged Lily to recount her family vacations, longing evident on his face as she rehashed the lackluster details of her parents arguing over the minor matters of a trip. Lily in turn was saddened by Severus' lack of proper parents, his mother driven to craziness from his father who could accept the biology of his wife and son.

The days wore on and as the warm summer days become cool fall evenings, the children saw less and less of each other until the snowy coldness of winter left both the redheaded witch and the black haired wizard longing for bright and clear, warm days. But time had a way of distancing friends and soon they thought less and less of the other magical playmate.

**.**

The next summer began in a flurry when Severus received his letter from Hogwarts, inviting him to study and live and at the school. His first thought was to tell Lily. She would be overjoyed at his acceptance.

But it was not until several weeks later, after Lily had turned eleven, that the redheaded girl eagerly bounded to the quiet stream just behind her house. Parchment clutched tightly in her small hands, Lily beamed when she stopped in front of the waiting Severus on the bank of the creek. His letter was folded neatly in the pocket of his robe and he hastily retrieved the document to wave in front of Lily as she excitedly began reading hers.

"'Dear Misses Lily Evans. We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance into the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry!'" She looked up animatedly, her green eyes wide as her wide grin threatened to overtake her face. "Oh Sev, it's really true! This is really happening!" She gushed. "The wizard from the school came to my house and talked to my parents and oh Sev! They're so excited for me!"

Severus could not remove the smile from his face as Lily happily read and reread her letter, giggles erupting every few sentences as she exploded with giddy merriment. Her flawless, cherubic face glowed with excitement as they spent the rest of the day talking about their impending school year. Lily had a million questions about where to buy books, how they would get there, how Hogwarts was concealed, and lines more that Severus merrily laughed at and answered as detailed as he could.

"Oh Sev," Lily gushed, her dainty hand grasping his forearm. "You simply must come with us to ... Diagon? To Diagon Alley! We'll have loads of fun going through all the stores and poking at everything! You simply must!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious and even though Severus knew he would not be going with Lily and her family to Diagon Alley, he agreed for the moment that he would be there with her.

The rest of their summer was spent swimming in the river, easily floating down the shallow stream through the forested area. There didn't seem to be a care in the world as Severus and Lily lazily practiced what little magic they knew, Severus repeating stories and tales for Lily when she begged to know more about the wizarding world.

Even at the tender age of eleven, Severus knew the pullings of his heart whenever Lily was near indicated his infatuation with the flame haired witch. He sought to protect her when she screamed at the appearance of a crawling creature, bravely picking up the insect or bug to move it elsewhere. Severus imagined the life they would have once they got to Hogwarts; he and Lily becoming the best of friends, growing up and eventually dating before getting married. The young Severus was ambitious but every time he looked upon the delicate face of Lily Evans, her big, green eyes wide with laughter and her button nose freckled from their time in the summer sun, he knew she was the most perfect thing he would ever see.

Lily noticed things too. Since Petunia's adamant and very loud protests concerning her magic, she had relied on Severus. She knew that he would understand why she was anxiously scared every time an item in the house suddenly shattered or when her uncontrollable tendencies manifested when her temper grew. Severus was able to explain away her guilt and Lily grew to eagerly await the time when she could get away from the house to see him. The odd, raven-haired boy had become her best friend and Lily cherished the rare moments she spent with him that allowed his true, kind personality show through.

Things would change come September 1st but Lily was prepared to face the worrisome events with Severus by her side. Neither child realized that their unique personalities and interests would sort them into different Houses, despite their agreeability and closeness. Severus assured Lily that nothing would come between them once they were together at Hogwarts and he secretly crossed his fingers for the day that he would see his lovely Lily draped in green and silver.

**.**

Their first two years did not live up to the promise that Hogwarts had been imagined to be. The rivalries of their Houses furthered the distance that seemed to have grown between Severus and Lily after the Sorting. They were still friendly and made time for the other when time permitted but Lily was thoroughly engrossed in the life of a witch with her new female Housemates.

Severus was left to the drafty darkness of the dungeons as he dutifully fell in line under Lucius Malfoy. The eager Slytherin happily did as the older boy asked, sinking to any low for a meager errand for Lucius as Severus basked in the positive attention of a male figure.

He learned of his natural talent for potions and volunteered to help Professor Slughorn with any task. It was the only class the Slytherins had with the Gryffindors and Severus basked in the parade of praises Lily poured on him in every session as he succeeded magnificently with every assignment. But even one class could not keep tight the glue that was their friendship.

Lily joined the Quidditch team in her second year, putting her closer to the infamous James Potter who went to every length imaginable to torment Severus. He despised her chosen activity but dutifully went to every match, sitting by himself in the stands during the more dangerous games while a majority of the other students were inside.

The summer before their third year was rife with vicious fights and frustrated arguments, Lily frequently storming off as Severus dropped his black head in defeat.

Lily was constant to point out the darker nature of Severus' current reading materials, angrily ripping his treasured books from his spidery hands to read the title on the spine of the bindings, eagerly spewing her worries over his newer interests. When he grew tired of repairing his torn books, Severus decided to only bring neutral books with him; anything pertaining to Transfiguration and Lily was immediately disinterested. Still, the noble redhead was quick to point out the despicability of any and all Dark Wizards.

Severus realized the easiest way to placate Lily was to close his book and force her into the cool waters of the river. The watery forest had become their haven and somehow their friendship remained untouched within the shadowy confines of the trees and river. All worries melted away when Lily would shriek happily, dancing away from Severus as he chased her over the rocks and stones covering the bottom of the stream. His boxers would cling to his skinny, pale thighs as Severus hobbled through the tide of the river to catch Lily, his long arms wrapping around her bare stomach as her modest bra and underwear molded with her luminescent skin.

Skivvies were the only thing worth wearing when they swam. Both children were too lazy to haul swimming trunks to and from their respective homes, instead stripping down to swim and letting their wet undergarments air dry while they lay about afterwards. But as the years had progressed, Severus had been keen to notice the gentle curving of Lily's chest, her breasts slowly filling in as she grew in height and her body morphed to match her age. He did not think he himself had changed, his hair still hanging in long and greasy strands and his bony frame taller than other boys his age. But Severus still blushed and admired the way Lily attempted to stealthily glance at his bare body, quiet happiness exuding as the years passed and she became bolder with her stares.

By the end of that summer, Severus and Lily had worked through most of their opposing views. Lily was not particularly happy with his interest in the Dark Arts but Severus swore it was merely for his broader knowledge of potions and the redheaded girl begrudgingly relented her protests. Severus was over eager to share his disdain for Quidditch, picking fun at Lily for wanting to be a muscular jock like the boys. That accusation had sent her flying over the hills in a rage, vowing to never speak to Severus so long as he kept telling her she looked masculine.

Severus had felt his stomach in knots since she had run off and nervously awaited Lily's arrival the next morning at the river. He did not know if she would show up but he would be there all day on the off chance that his red haired love would show up. Absolute relief tore the wind from his lungs when Severus spotted her flaming head meandering through the trees.

Lily hesitantly stopped meters away from Severus, her hands behind her back and her head tucked against her chest sheepishly.

"I'm sorry for running off yesterday," she apologized, her strong voice very soft as she timidly met Severus' dark gaze. "I know you weren't trying to be mean, Sev."

The corners of his lips gravitated upwards and Severus laughed shortly as he stepped closer to Lily, clasping her smaller hand as he paused in front of her.

"No, I'm sorry," Severus said, his black head bent to peer anxiously into Lily's emerald eyes. "I was trying to insult James Potter and I made myself sound like a complete fool. I meant to say that if you kept playing Quidditch you would turn into a meathead like him. I wanted to make a joke out of it and instead I insulted you. I'm the one who should be sorry, Lily."

She did not try to protest or correct him. Lily simply smiled tentatively, dropping her arms before wrapping them around Severus' waist, pressing her shorter body against his lean frame. Severus sighed in contentment, his youthful arms surrounding Lily as her mane of red curls tickled his bobbing adam's apple. Her small hands interlocked behind his back and as Lily squeezed him tighter, Severus jerked when he felt the hardening of her young nipples through their shirts. A jolt of electricity caused Severus to shiver pleasurably, Lily embracing him happily as she playfully rubbed her nose against his chest.

They broke apart somewhat awkwardly, both shyly looking away when their bodies were no longer touching. Sensing an uncomfortable silence, Severus looked up and down the river banks before lazily kicking a pile of leaves at Lily.

"Hey," he said grabbing Lily's attention, her auburn head jerking up expectantly as a grin covered her face. "I'll race you. First one to the bend in the river wins."

Lily narrowed her green eyes, crossed her arms dramatically, and pursed her lips. A devilish grin tore across her serious mask after a moment and Lily giggled before saying, "And if I win?"

It was Severus' turn to smirk and he haughtily pushed back the errant strands of black hair that hung in his face, his playful demeanor showcasing a false arrogance as he looked Lily up and down. "What makes you think that your short legs can outrun these long, spider's legs? How could you possibly beat me? Muah ha ha ha."

Lily laughed, dropping her arms as she slowly walked closer to Severus.

"I don't know," she guessed with fake uncertainty. "Maybe because I'm the fastest Chaser that Gryffindor has ever seen!"

Lily took off, ducking past Severus to run off as her tinkling laughter carried across the moving distance. Severus spun on his heel and took off after the flowing, fiery mane of the girl who was always just out of his reach.

**.**

Two years and many strenuous months later, Severus and Lily found themselves once more relaxing by the soothing waters of the river behind their houses. Two years had changed the pair vastly, Lily in striking appearance and Severus in his personality and likeability towards people. They had finished their fourth year, putting them closer to be finishing school than beginning it. Soon both of them would be fifteen and forced to start the process of preparing for the OWLs and choosing the profession they would practice for the rest of their lives.

It was no surprise that Severus chose now, on a beautiful, warm summer day to stick his nose in a large tome about the intricacies of potion making within the realm of poisonous plants. Lily propped herself up on her elbows, leaning her weight backwards as she disdainfully watched Severus turn page after dusty page. Sweat was beading on the back of her knees and Lily felt the itch in her calves to get up and do something. Her feet began twitching anxiously against the ground and Severus looked up, distracted as her tapping grew louder.

He cleared his throat loudly, pausing Lily's agitated movements as she rapidly turned to look at him, her green eyes wide and expectant.

"What?"

His black eyebrows slowly climbed up his forehead and Severus calmly shut his book, keeping a finger in between the pages to mark his place, his lips twisting precisely as he drawled, "Could you stop that? I can't concentrate."

Lily cocked her own eyebrows, a sly grin sliding across her lips as she quickly jumped up, the practiced movement lightning fast.

"Come on, Sev," she pleaded, looking down at her best friend as he lazily watched her. "Let's do something. You're boring me. Let's go swimming! Its too hot out here anyways."

Before Severus could protest, proclaiming that he did not fancy getting himself wet so that he would have to dry off later, Lily had gripped the bottom of her shirt and whipped it over her head, her thin, cotton black bra exposing her pale torso. Any words died on his tongue and Severus gaped openly as Lily hoped around to kick off her shoes before shimmying out of her shorts to reveal hot pink boy shorts underwear. Her curvy waist proportioned her flared hips and Severus watched the slight jiggle of her ass when Lily bent over to fold her clothes neatly.

She laughed loudly, her hands planting on her hips, when Lily looked up to see Severus watching her, his pointy face looking almost appalled at her lack of modesty.

"Severus Snape," Lily commanded, her voice stern and her features hard. "I demand that you take off your clothes and get in the river with me."

Lily instantly chuckled at her words and swept her hand in a circle to indicate her meaning. "You know what I'm saying! Strip down to your underwear and let's go swimming!" She barked.

Severus did not know what else to do and blindly obeyed, laying down his forgotten book to stand. Lily smirked knowingly as Severus tugged at the long sleeves of his shirt, slowly pulling them until his arms were free and he lifted the garment over his head. He was conscious of his bony chest but continued on, reaching with trembling hands to unfasten his pants, gently sliding them over his hips and down his skinny legs until they pooled around his feet.

Lily turned and skipped to the bank of the river, flirtatiously looking over her shoulder as Severus hobbled to run down the embankment to reach her, a nervous smile tightening his lips. With a jumping start, Lily leaped into the cool waters of the flowing river, her red head seized by the currents as she resurfaced, laughing merrily.

"Come on Severus!" She called, throwing an arm up to motion him forward. "Get in the water!"

He did not need to be told twice as Severus did the opposite of Lily and gingerly stepped over the cracked corners of the rocks lining the river to gently step into the waters. He shivered as the cool liquid ran over his feet, cautiously wading deeper into the water and Lily floated back to him, her flaming hair alive with the current. Severus bent his knees and dropped down until he was squatting waist deep in the river.

Lily was content to let the river carry her a ways before turning over to sluggishly pull against the current to return to where Severus was sitting against a flat rock. Severus distractedly watched Lily, her lazy movements causing his eyelids to droop heavily as the river lulled him with it's rocking motions.

It just took a piercing scream and a giant splashing of water for Severus to jump forward, standing awkwardly as he fearfully looked up and down the river for Lily. He rushed through the waters to her side as she awkwardly grabbed her foot, tears streaming down her face as she tried and failed to successfully get out of the river.

"Lily, what happened?" Severus hurriedly asked, his hands immediately grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to face him, moving her limbs so he could reach down to pick her up, one arm under her knees and the other grasping her shoulders to his chest. Lily heaved against his chest, sobs muffling everything she tried to say. Severus took giant steps to lift them out of the water as he gently placed Lily on the ground, his knees bending as he collapsed next to her as she tightened her hold around his neck.

Severus quickly glanced over her body, his black eyes settling on her left foot that was dripping blood into the dirt soil as a sharp rock protruded from a small sized wound on the bottom of her foot.

"Sev, it hurts! Get it out!" Lily cried, her fingers digging into his shoulder as Severus tenderly looked back to her distressed face.

"Shh. Shh," Severus murmured. "Hold on just a second and I'll pull it out. Let me get something to wrap around your foot though to stop the bleeding."

Lily tearfully nodded, releasing her grip to watch Severus hurry back across the bank to retrieve his shirt. Ripping one long sleeve off it's seam, Severus hurriedly walked back to Lily, tucking the piece of fabric under his arm as he bent next to her injured foot. Gently holding her foot sideways, Severus met Lily's gaze as two finger gripped the rouch edges of the rock.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded rapidly, her fists clenching and her eyes squinting as the blood ran over the ridges of her heel. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three..."

Lily groaned and Severus grunted as the pressure was removed and he pulled the pesky rock from her flesh.

"Ahhhhh!" Lily cried, jerking her foot wildly as a fresh wave of pain assualted her.

Severus grabbed her ankle and jerked the appendage across his lap, grabbing the shirt material to loop around the bleeding injury. Lily quieted, her sobs muffled as Severus tightened the bandage and knotted it across the bridge of her foot.

"Thank you," she muttered, one hand wiping the tear tracks off her freckled cheeks.

Severus smiled, squeezing Lily's ankle before she shifted to scoot closer to him. Awkwardly bouncing several inches, Lily moved until her short arms could snake around Severus' lean torso. Her mess of wet hair scratched his skin as Lily pressed her head against his heart.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Sev," she whispered, her warm breath tickling his wet skin as goosebumps rose and Lily smiled sweetly against his chest.

His arms were wrapped around Lily's smaller body and Severus bent his head to lightly kiss the top of her forehead, brushing strands of hair back as he held her there. Hesitantly Lily turned in his arms, pressing her breasts against his ribs as her chin jerked up so she could peer at the depth of his dark eyes. A fat drop of water fell from a hanging clump of black hair to drop on Lily's forehead and she shivered instantly when the liquid hit her face, her nipples hardening as Severus lightly groaned at the very miniscule action.

Lily felt Severus stiffen and she chuckled, dropping her chin to gaze down the thin space between their bodies as she nervously blinked. Her cheeks flushed instantly when Lily deviously noticed the hardening of Severus' cock through the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. She unintentionally moaned, jolting Severus as he thought she was in pain again. His arms released her to grab her upper arms, pulling her back to nervously scan her face for any signs of pain. He did not get very far though before Lily turned her head, quickly rushing her hands up between their bodies to grasp the sides of Severus' face with cool hands.

His black eyes widened slightly as Severus opened his mouth to speak but he was cut off as Lily jerked his face towards her, tilting her head as her pouty lips pressed against his own. Severus was breathless, his black eyes frantically meeting Lily's green orbs as she moved her mouth, her sharp tongue sneaking out to nip at the seam of his tight lips. After a moments hesitation, Severus sighed and opened his mouth, naturally turning his head to match Lily's aggressive movements on his lips.

They broke apart, panting, before Severus swung an arm around Lily's neck to pull her back against his chest, his lips immediately dropping to place soft kisses down the side of her face. Their gazes met giddily, Severus' heart pounding in his chest as Lily bashfully bit her lip. Neither said a word as they continued to sit wrapped up in each other, pain and injury forgotten as their longstanding romance finally blossomed.

When their skin was dry and the sun was setting through the wooded forest, Severus helped Lily to stand on her one good foot as a chilly breeze pulled through the trees. They redressed soundlessly, Severus quickly doning his wrinkled clothes before helping Lily to dress. Grabbing her hand, Severus moved Lily until she was flush against his chest, sweetly ducking his head to place a tender kiss to her swollen lips before smiling happily. Lily grinned expertly, her cheeks blushing as Severus brushed a frizzy curl from her face. In one swoop he bent to lift Lily, her arms once more encircling his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder as he began walking them home, the setting sun glittering off the rushing river as the pair set down the path of an all defying love.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading and thank you to hello-nurse2005 for the inspirational request. It took me longer than I thought to finish this but here it finally is. Enjoy!**

**Oh yea, and reviews are nice :) **


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